COURTHOUSE — A wedding crashing Bridgeport man who turned “fairy tales into a nightmare” is headed to state prison after he stole more than $12,000 in cash from newlywed couples.

Joseph Patrick Franzone Jr., 36, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Monday to four to eight years in state prison, to be followed by six years’ probation, on charges of theft by unlawful taking and attempted theft in connection with four incidents that occurred between June and July 2013 in Montgomery, Chester and Lancaster counties.

“He was a one man crime spree with engaged, soon-to-be-married couples in his crosshairs. He staked them out,” Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy said as she imposed Franzone’s punishment. “Nothing compares to a wedding, big or small. To undermine that moment and cause havoc like this is an aggravating factor.”

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Two of the victims wept as they recalled the thefts that marred their special days.

“For a year our families planned this perfect day. We lost so much more than money that day. The innocence that’s supposed to surround the most important day of your life was stolen from us,” one woman, now married a year, told the judge.

“It wasn’t about the money. It was more about the emotional impact of it,” a second tearful victim testified, adding she didn’t get to enjoy many of her post wedding events with invited guests because she was busy filing police reports and trying to track down the stolen gifts.

Assistant District Attorney Lindsay O’Brien argued for consecutive sentences against Franzone for each of the four weddings he interrupted on three separate weekends in three separate counties.

“The defendant’s crimes were calculated and were planned. This is four separate crimes, not a continuous scheme,” O’Brien, assisted by prosecutor Alexandria MacMaster, argued to the judge. “The defendant turned their fairy tales into a nightmare.”

Defense lawyer Sharon Meisler argued against consecutive sentences for Franzone, maintaining the crimes should be treated like a single scheme. Meisler argued Franzone’s conduct was fueled by an addiction to prescription painkillers for which he needs intensive drug treatment.

“This is not the same as an armed robbery. There were no threats, no weapons and no violence,” Meisler argued for leniency, adding Franzone is remorseful.

Franzone, clean and sober since being in jail for the last year, addressed the victims who were in court.

“I never mean to hurt you. All I was worried about was getting a pill in my system. I’m really sorry,” Franzone told the women.

The judge ordered Franzone to pay $12,935 in restitution and recommended that he be held at a state correctional facility in Chester, Delaware County, which offers drug treatment programs for inmates.

By pleading guilty to the charges, Franzone, of the 300 block of Cherry Alley, admitted to stealing gifts from two weddings in Montgomery County and one in Lancaster County. Franzone also attempted to steal cash gifts from a wedding in Chester County but was thwarted by a guest. During all of the incidents, Franzone focused his attention on baskets or card boxes that contained gifts, in the form of cash or checks, which were intended for the newlyweds.

An investigation began July 7 when Lower Gwynedd police responded to the William Penn Inn on DeKalb Pike for a report of a theft that occurred during a wedding reception. According to police, a relative of a newly married couple was helping transfer wedding presents, valued between $3,000 and $5,000, from the reception hall to a vehicle when some of the gifts went missing.

Surveillance photos showed a man loitering in the area and police received numerous tips as to the wedding crasher’s identity when the photographs were published and broadcast by news agencies. Franzone surrendered to police July 12 after being identified as the suspect.

Franzone also was linked to a theft that occurred during a reception held June 22 in RiverCrest Golf Club’s clubhouse in Upper Providence and to a June 29 theft from a wedding reception at a hotel in East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County.

Also on June 29, Franzone attempted to steal a basket containing about $4,000 cash from a wedding reception at The Stone Barn in West Marlborough Township, Chester County, but was thwarted by a wedding guest, according to the criminal complaint.